Well, how did I get here?

Hello, Viffers!

Back in the 90s, I learned to ride on a Ninja 600, then had a long love affair with the mid 90s Yamaha FZR1000. I always liked the VFR series, though… that sound, the single-sided swingarm, the fit & finish, restrained graphics, etc.

When it came time start shopping a couple of weeks ago, I really didn't consider any other bike (well, apart from BMW K1200RS). I knew I had to have an Interceptor. I had never ridden one. I just knew.

I found a mint '00 with tons of extras. My friend who used to work as a motorcycle mechanic inspected and test rode the bike. He gave it a clean bill of health, and I bought it.

I'm just wondering if anyone else felt comfortable buying one without auditioning a lot of other machines. And now that you have it, are you happy? Or do you feel that another machine might serve you better? If so, which other bikes catch your eye?

 

I had never heard of a VFR when I test rode mine.
I never took it back.

 

I think your pretty safe, hard to not like gen 5.

 

I stumbled across the VFR. After being away from bikes for so long, when I started looking around, I had a perception of a 600 being too small for me and killing my back. With a liter bike, I figured I'd kill myself at that point. So when I saw an 800 cc bike, I figured hey, why not.

There were 2 on the dealer floor when I bought it - a Y2K and a 2001. I bought the yeller one!

 

Long List of Bikes

I started with a long list that included the most upright of sportbikes/sport tourers, eliminated those without a full fairing (FZ6, Bandit, Z750/Z1000), those outside of my budget, those without dealer support in my hometown (Ducati, Aprilia, BMW, Triumph) which left me with a few options: ST1100, VFR (5th & 6th gen), GSX650, Concours 1000, and FZ6R. Then I ranked them based on quality, tourability, availability. The Connie and ST1100 went out due to few low mileage editions. The GSX650F and FZ6R went out due to quality issues. (They are good bikes for what they are, but the GSX650F is as heavy as a VFR with less power, and the FZ6R just looked cheap next to a VFR). I put the 6th gen ahead of the 5th due to a better front suspension. YMMV.

 

For a person re-introducing themselves to reasonably quick bikes, its not unheard of for one to chose the VFR. It meets lots of criterion for a guy looking to make himself more familiar with going fast without being too uncomfortable or too scary. 5th gens are perfect for that, if youre a gearhead or not. I trailered mine back from a distance away and had made the decision to buy it after riding it around the block.

I had a number of big bore touring bikes, and decided to slowly wean myself toward faster smaller bikes. Im glad I did. Now Im thinking track days and small bore bikes. But I will probably keep this 5th gen for many years to come

Welcome to the forum, and pay no attention to nutcases here :joker:

Aside: yes, I am also a fan of somewhat restrained graphics, but as you will see, as you make the mods you will need, and your VFR buds give you sick ass graphics, you will slowly, tastefully, be adding to the visual presentation of the bike, if only for your own damn self heeeheeeheee